Generally, an ampoule is a vial-like container hermetically sealed to hold substances that may be sensitive to the external environment or ambient air. The ampoule may be formed from glass or plastic materials suitable for preserving the hermetic seal over an extended time period. For glass ampoules, the ampoule is typically sealed by melting the thin top usually with a blowtorch flame after filling, and most commonly used as a container for perishable products such as pharmaceuticals. Some ampoules are designed with a score mark around the neck so that the sealed top may be simply snapped off by hand; while others are pre-packaged in a flexible outer container, which may optionally contain a secondary substance. In the latter form, the user can safely break the ampoule(s) within the flexible container. The contents of the broken ampoule are then released into the flexible outer container for dispensing.
In biological or chemical detection systems, testing reagents are used for detecting the presence of compounds in samples. To ensure reliability and minimize false results, a sufficient amount of testing reagents are need to properly react with the sample. Glass ampoules have been used in field testing scenarios to portably hold chemical testing reagents in pre-measured amounts. Such ampoules are effective in maintaining a hermetic seal to prevent contamination by the environment prior to testing, and can be cleanly broken to release the reagents in the amounts needed without measuring during the chemical test. They are particularly efficient for their portability, ease of use and flexible storage capabilities and advantageous for use in field testing operations, particularly where test users are typically required to wear cumbersome protective gear in a potentially hazardous environment.
The M256 series of chemical agent detector kits including the M256 and M256A1, utilizes glass ampoules for storing and dispensing chemical testing agents to test the presence of noxious and toxic chemicals. These kits are available from manufacturers Truetech Inc. of Riverhead, N.Y. and Anachemia Chemicals Inc. of Rouses Point, N.Y. The kits are manually operated and form an essential element in chemical warfare agent defensive measures for personnel. The kits are used to detect hazardous concentrations of blood agents (e.g., hydrogen cyanide, cyanogens chloride), nerve (e.g., G-class and V-class), and blister agents (e.g., mustard, phosgene oxime) in both vapor and liquid form. In this manner, the kits can be used to indicate to the user whether it is safe to remove the protective mask, or as a confirmatory test after a chemical agent alarm has sounded.
The M256 has two primary test components: the vapor-sampler and M8 detection paper. The components are designed to allow the user in full protective gear to perform the chemical agent tests. All the chemical test reagents needed to test the vapors and aerosols are stored within ampoules contained in the vapor-sampler's body. The M8 detection paper is specifically designed to provide a testing surface to support the reaction between the chemical testing reagents and the chemical agents including toxic blood, nerve, and blister agents in liquid, aerosol or vapor form, and produce a uniquely colored response. The colored response indicates to the user whether a chemical warfare agent is present.
Although the M256 kits provide an affordable, reliable and prompt chemical detector, they are costly and very labor intensive to implement and also prone to human errors due to the conditions under which the tests are implemented. To minimize such errors, it is normally recommended that two users conduct the kit test; one manually performs the chemical testing, while the other reads the instructions for the test kit to the first user. Generally, the users must follow detailed and precise instructions with multiple steps involving many physical and mechanical manipulations performed in a set chronological timed sequence. With the protective gear the users are typically wearing, the users' ability to perform the tasks is severely reduced. Collectively, these factors significantly encumber the users' ability to perform any chemical detection task. Typically, hazardous material teams have highly trained but limited personnel resources, which can be consumed to perform the operations required by the M256 chemical agent detector kit.
A prior art chemical testing device having a testing surface is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,657 issued to Genovese et al. The device taught by Genovese et al. includes a crushing mechanism for breaking ampoules containing chemical testing reagents attached to a collector element similar to the vapor-sampler's body of the M256. The crushing mechanism includes a movable spring or solenoid powered member adapted for shattering the ampoule to release the chemical testing reagents through a channel onto the testing surface. In some instances, the crushing mechanism is unable to release the chemical testing reagents when the ampoule is only partially broken, or when a portion of the ampoule retains all, if not, most of the reagent and prevents the reagent from flowing freely down the channel. Moreover, the device still requires the users to manually perform many physical and mechanical manipulations in a set chronological timed sequence.
Accordingly, there is a need for an automated ampoule breaking device designed to effectively break ampoules at an appropriate time interval in a predetermined sequence during the implementation of chemical or biological detection testing, while directing the flow of the contents of the broken ampoules onto a testing surface in an automated manner. There is a further need for an automated ampoule breaking device capable of greatly simplifying operating procedures in testing for the presence of hazardous materials such as chemical and/or biological agents in the field in a manner that enhances reliability and reproducibility, while reducing the complexity, the labor and the costs associated with such tests.